As befits a nation of timekeepers, the clock is ticking until Emmi’s new chief executive formally takes up the top job at the Swiss dairy group.

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Last month, Emmi named Urs Riedener as its new CEO and, although he won’t get his feet under the desk until 1 April next year at the latest, the onus is already on the 42-year-old to take the business forward.
Emmi is facing some issues in its domestic market amid growing competition and is looking overseas for future growth. “We have to focus on an international strategy – that is very important for Emmi,” Dominik Büchel, the company’s European sales director, told just-food earlier this month. “We cannot grow anymore in Switzerland and it will be a big job to keep what we have in Switzerland.”
In recent months, Emmi has steadily expanded its international business, snapping up an Italian yoghurt maker, buying a stake in an Italian cheese business and, last week, acquiring its distributor in Belgium. Industry analyst James Amoroso from Swiss broker Helvea insists it is vital that the company “maintains the momentum of its international expansion”. The acquisition of Belgian distributor Haerten & Interimex, Amoroso says, “forms another, albeit small brick in Emmi’s construction of its growing international business”.
Emmi’s overseas business looks predicated on focusing on its “premium” Swiss cheeses. Indeed, Amoroso sees Emmi’s Swiss “origin” cheese as the company’s “strongest point of difference” in its export markets. Crucially, Riedener’s experience at upmarket chocolate producer Lindt & Spreungli should stand Emmi in good stead when trying to cultivate demand for its premium products.

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By GlobalDataFurthermore, Riedener’s current role is as an executive at retail group Migros. The knowledge of what life is like on the other side of the fence could come in useful in Emmi’s pricing negotiations with its retail customers. Despite Emmi’s “premium” position in the cheese category, the company has not been immune to the price pressures faced by many in the dairy industry this year. Getting retailers to ease cost pressure through price increases is a challenging task but Riedener could provide the necessary insight and contacts to achieve just that.
With Emmi finding the going tough in its domestic market, Riedener’s appointment could be a piece of perfect timing.